Category: Diversity & Inclusion

Diversity and inclusion (D&I) is an important and ongoing strategy of any HR plan. Ensuring that your company supports hiring, engaging, and retaining diverse workers with varied backgrounds will set your company up for long-term success and an increased bottom line. This topic offers the latest strategies for talent management, key insights from diversity leaders, case studies on D&I in the workplace, and more.

veterans

Need workers? First lady touts talents of veterans and military spouses

As July 4 approaches, many employers are anxious to declare a holiday so their employees can enjoy the nation’s birthday festivities. But when the fireworks are over, they may be looking to hire the kind of talent so often celebrated on Independence Day—veterans and military spouses.  Many employers have come to appreciate the diversity of […]

Biased bias: when protected classifications intersect

by Connor Beatty If your company regularly interviews and hires qualified female applicants for all available positions, you may think the company is in a strong position to defend against gender discrimination lawsuits filed by rejected applicants. Similarly, if your company refrains from asking applicants about their age and interviews and hires applicants who happen […]

When worlds collide: religious freedom laws and LGBT protections

by Brent E. Siler When the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the U.S. Constitution prohibits states from banning gay marriage last year, many people who oppose same-sex marriage for religious reasons began worrying that the newly recognized constitutional right to gay marriage would conflict with their right to religious freedom. As a result, several state […]

U.S. women’s soccer team’s EEOC charge spotlights wage discrimination issues

Pay equity issues have attracted significant attention recently in political debates, state legislatures, and courtrooms. The latest venue for the conversation: the fields dominated by the U.S. women’s soccer team. In late March, five prominent members of the team filed a wage discrimination complaint against their employer, the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF), with the Equal […]

EEOC aids national strategy to protect workers with HIV/AIDS

by Natalie B. Virden In 2010, the White House issued a National HIV/AIDS Strategy for the United States (NHAS). One step identified in the NHAS is to reduce stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has been utilizing its enforcement and litigation functions in recent years in an […]

ADA and USERRA: Duty owed to employees who fight for country

by Brinton M. Wilkins Society has long understood that war can exact a heavy psychological toll on the soldiers, marines, sailors, airmen, and coast guardsmen who serve in the military. During WWI, servicemembers came home with shell shock. The psychological difficulties military men and women face have been diagnosed as “combat stress reaction,” “combat fatigue,” […]

4th Circuit ruling favors transgender student

by Rachael Luzietti After the Norfolk federal district court refused to order the Gloucester County School Board to grant the student’s request, he appealed to the U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals (whose rulings apply to all Virginia employers). Recently, the appeals court reversed the district court’s decision and issued a ruling favorable to the […]

Gender diversity in the workforce: What’s holding women back?

A number of well-intentioned corporate executives—with their eyes squarely on the bottom line—are taking action to increase gender diversity at all levels of their organizations. Confident they’ll see a payoff, those top managers are making sure women’s ideas contribute to their organizations’ strategic thinking. Despite strong efforts, though, recent research notes a lack of progress.  […]

Sex stereotyping, same-sex harassment, and transgender issues in the workplace

by Amanda Shelby We typically think of sex discrimination and sexual harassment as involving two employees of the opposite sex, but that unlawful activity can occur between employees of the same sex, too. Although federal law doesn’t explicitly recognize gender identity or sexual orientation as protected characteristics, several states and cities have passed ordinances prohibiting […]

Caregiving responsibilities, temporal flexibility, and the gender wage gap

by Kelly Boehner We often hear that women earn approximately 77 cents for every dollar men earn. That statistic comes from data in the 2010 American Community Survey, an annual survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. The statistic means that if you calculate the median annual income for all men and women who work […]